The ACG Team
Sarah Abernathy joined the ACG Advocacy in 2016 primarily to serve as Executive Director of the Committee for Education Funding (CEF). She provides CEF members with analysis of Congressional and Administration education budgets, leads meetings with Congressional staff, and helps direct and manage the coalition’s policy and networking events and outreach to the broader education community. She has testified before Congress on the importance of education investments to economic security and regularly presents to education groups on budgeting and education financing.
She has close to 30 years of experience working on education and budget issues in both Congress and in the Administration, including at the Department of Education, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Health and Human Services. For the previous 18 years Ms. Abernathy worked on the House Budget Committee Democratic staff, most recently serving as Senior Policy Coordinator focusing on budget issues relating to education, social services, and job training as well as environmental issues. She helped lead and manage the staff to develop goals and policy, including budget legislation. As the education staffer, she was responsible for collaborating with a range of stakeholders including the Administration, the advocacy community, the Congressional Budget Office, and Members of Congress to create and analyze budget options and craft strategies for their successful adoption. She developed special expertise in student financial aid policy, appropriations analysis, and budget process. Earlier in her career she spent 6 years as a legislative assistant for Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Rep. Jim Moody (D-WI).
From 1994-1998 Sarah worked at the U.S. Department of Education in the Planning and Evaluation Service where she focused on rehabilitation services and adult and vocational education issues. During that time, she was detailed to the Office of Management and Budget’s education branch where she supervised policy and budgets for special education and vocational rehabilitation. She was also detailed to the Health and Human Services’ regional office in San Francisco where she worked on child care and Head Start programs.
Ms. Abernathy graduated from Williams College and also earned a Master’s from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
